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Vanilla Garlic is my nifty food blog that I tinker at with essays about life and food that I like to think are humorous or thoughtful. I also work as a freelance writer and a cookbook author. Whether I succeed at any of this debatable.

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Sunday, February 3, 2008

From the Cupcake Archives, one of my favorite recipes!I don't really know where the original idea for this cupcake came from, it had just been stirring around for a while. I know I have been wanting to do something featuring some Middle Eastern flavors, and this seemed about as close as I could get without wandering into cheese pastry or baklava territory. Plus, this cupcake was something rich and luscious. Formal and elegant. Beloved.

I do admit that this one is highly time consuming and somewhat labor intensive. It's a recipe to save for a day off or when it's cloudy and icky outside. Turn on a Norah Jones CD, dress comfy, and relax with your thoughts while you shell pistachios, or stir the rice pudding. In the end the whispering oohs and aahs escaping from your friends and family after their first bite are all worth it.

The rice pudding is a recipe from The Wednesday Chef, who got it from the book Mastering Simplicity. It involved a vanilla bean, which as you know by now means I am all over it as I loves the vanilla. (Note: This recipe asks for pistachios, cardamom, and vanilla beans. Go to World Market for the spices, and a farmers market for the pistachios. Total cost I paid... $8.) The bay leaf added a nice floral, slightly woodsy quality in the faint background. I suggest that for the last 15 minutes of cooking you stir constantly. This will keep the bottom from being burned, which necessarily isn't a bad thing as it caramelizes a bit making a slight flan kinda taste but for purity's sake avoid that this time.

The rice plumps up well, and becomes creamy and oh-so-delish! This one is a keeper, as in print it out now and file it in your recipe box keeper. It's also very easy to make, with ingredients I usually have on hand, so I can see myself making this a few more times on rainy and lazy days.

The cupcake was an interesting recipe. I was wondering if it would be a tad sketchy, and the batter looked a tad bit odd, but it all worked out wonderfully. I cut out the vanilla extract, and by cut out I mean forgot, but never mind that it was tasty regardless and wouldn't add it anyways if I did it again as enough vanilla flavor comes in from the rice pudding. The cake is delicate and fragrant. Honestly, I haven't tasted anything like it. The oils from the pistachios and the spice of the cardamom are phenomenal, they became perfectly woven with the rice pudding. The first thing I thought of was enjoying these with a copy of Arabian Nights. Scheherazade's stories are the auricular equivalent to these cupcakes and their rich tapestry of aromas and flavors! Overall, one of the best cupcakes I think I've ever turned out.

(For your reading benefit, and to allow you to better love these cupcakes, here is a link to an online text of Arabian Nights.)

What You'll Do...1) Cream the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until well incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure complete mixture.2) Place pistachios in a food processor and chop until finely ground. All the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking powder until pulse once or twice to mix.3) Add the milk and vanilla extract if using it to the butter mixture. Mix well. Add the flour-pistachio mixture and mix until blended.4) Place into cupcake papers, and bake for 16-20 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean (no crumbs) in a 350 degree oven. Let cool on a wire rack.5) Cut out small cone shaped pieces of the cupcake and scoop the rice pudding into the little cupcake potholes you've made. Cover with chopped pistachios.

What You'll Do...1) Place rice in a small sauce pan with the bay leaf and two cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then drain. Transfer rice and bay leaf to a heavy 3 quart pot.2) Add 4 cups of milk, the sugar, vanilla bean, and the salt. Place over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until milk has been absorbed by rice, about an hour. Rice should be tender and rice should be creamy. Add another 1 or 2 cups of milk and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. Stir often to prevent the bottom from burning. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

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comments:

Garrett, good news! Our mind meld is still working. All though your cupcakes are way crazier and I thought that mine were totally insane. Yours look fantastic, of course. Have any leftovers? Do you think they would ship well?

Beautiful! I love the cupcakes and the Rice Pudding looks lovely! I adore rice pudding but my American husband says he can't get his head around eating it (he's only supposed to use his mouth)...this might win him around though!

Wow--you are amazing Garrett! However, if you find that you have given up sleeping and working for cupcake baking we may need to look into a twelve-step program for you. However, we don't really want you "cured" so sleep be damned!

Wow what a recipe, I have just had a request for a cupcake that incorporates Turkish Delight (the propper stuff not Caburys) in to a cupcake, I am thinking that this recipe, but stacked with small dices of Turkish Delight, studded with more Pistashios, oh dear. I am never going to loose any weight.

I can't tell you how many times I've looked at this cupcake. I wish I had one right now.Everything I adore is in it; Cardamom, pistachios and rice pudding. What a nice flavor combination. I am definitely going to make a batch or two.

I was just sitting on the couch and thinking about food. I'm fasting and on day 6 of my cleanse. Naturally, I'm thinking about food. My mind drifted to desserts and my tummy wanted to flavors in a cake texture. Cardamom & Pistachio. I Googled. I found this blog. I can literally taste the flavors of this cupcake. I'm from Afghanistan and we use these spices SOOOOOOOOO much!! Thanks for the recipe

Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.~Garrett